Open synth without jumping to MIDI track

[Pilutiful]

Please make it possible to be able to click on synth in Synth Rack without having Cakewalk jump to associated midi track. It's so annoying and unnecessary 99% of the times.

I asked about this here https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php?/topic/40449-open-synth-without-jumping-to-track/&tab=comments#comment-322524

Seems to me it's not possible.

[tecknot]

Hi Pilutiful,

You can open a synth('s GUI) by double clicking on the synth icon in the Synth Rack.

Kind regards,

tecknot

[Lost Phases]

1 hour ago, tecknot said:

Hi Pilutiful,

You can open a synth('s GUI) by double clicking on the synth icon in the Synth Rack.

Kind regards,

tecknot

I think what the OP is talking about is when you double click on the Synth Rack icon to open a synth then to not have the track selection jump to that synth on the Track View.

Edited March 29, 2022 by In A Week

[user 905133]

On 2/14/2022 at 3:34 PM, Pilutiful said:

Is it possible to open a synth in Synth Rack without having Cakewalk jumping to the associated midi track? I find this very annoying, escpecially when I'm working on a different track. Or is it possible to disable this feature?

18 hours ago, Pilutiful said:

Please make it possible to be able to click on synth in Synth Rack without having Cakewalk jump to associated midi track. It's so annoying and unnecessary 99% of the times.

11 hours ago, tecknot said:

You can open a synth('s GUI) by double clicking on the synth icon in the Synth Rack.

9 hours ago, In A Week said:

I think what the OP is talking about is when you double click on the Synth Rack icon to open a synth then to not have the track selection jump to that synth on the Track View.

At first I was wondering why the OP was clicking in the Synth Rack without wanting to have an associated track (instrument track or MIDI track) selected in the track view. So I played with the Synth Rack a bit in different ways than I usually use it.  In at least 99% of the times I have used the Synth Rack, I don't have an issue with an associated track being selected, but workflows differ.

It might be helpful if the OP gave more details on how the Synth Rack is being used (i.e., why click on it if you don't want to do something with the associated track?). 

Edited March 30, 2022 by User 905133
(2) added in words that were in my thoughts but didn't get typed; (1) punctuation correction

[sjoens]

AFAIK only the synth's instrument track is "selected" when doing this. The associated MIDI track is not.

... unless you're using Simple Instrument Track.

However, muting & soloing the synth from the Synth Rack will affect both tracks.

Edited March 30, 2022 by sjoens

[user 905133]

9 hours ago, User 905133 said:

At first I was wondering why the OP was clicking in the Synth Rack without wanting to have an associated track (instrument track or MIDI track) selected in the track view. So I played with the Synth Rack a bit in different ways than I usually use it. 

2 hours ago, sjoens said:

AFAIK only the synth's instrument track is "selected" when doing this. The associated MIDI track is not.

... unless you're using Simple Instrument Track.

I listed both (instrument track or MIDI track) because I tested several things, including a hybrid instrument track, a split instrument track, and a midi source only track.  (I think we are saying something similar, though).

More problematic for me is that the OP has not stated what the goal is for clicking on the Synth Rack and what the workflow is that creates the 99% figure. 

For example, let's say the OP routinely (almost exclusively) uses non-hybrid instrument tracks and does some editing on the non-MIDI potion in the track view, but then clicks on and turns the knobs in an expanded Synth Rack.**  When I did this, in 100% of my tests earlier, the associated MIDI track was selected in the track view.

If that's what the OP does, I believe the OP is correct (the associated MIDI track gets selected and it is a workflow distraction) but just didn't explain the reason for the request.  However, we just don't know the OP's workflow, if there is a better solution than clicking on the Synth Rack, etc.

**By the way, if this is what the OP does, I would have suggested the option of using MIDI Learn to assign a knob, slider, etc. to control the virtual control in the Synth Rack.  I didn't mention this earlier because the OP hasn't stated the reason for clicking on the Synth Rack and therefore might be totally irrelevant.

Anyhow, since this is a feature request, I'm done trying to read the OP's mind.

Edited March 30, 2022 by User 905133
to add a few lines at the end (**By the way . . . ).

[sjoens]

So I just tried it again on a current project and... YES... the MIDI track is the one getting selected when clicking on a Synth Rack synth. 

 Not sure how that was reversed before. I've crossed out my previous post.

Documentation says: "When a synth is highlighted in the Synth Rack, the corresponding tracks in the Track View and Console View are also highlighted."

"Tracks" - plural. Maybe someone can explain this. I have a synth with 4 MIDI tracks feeding it but only the 3rd MIDI track is "selected" when clicking on the synth.

Not sure what "highlighted" means when the choices are "focused" or "selected" and only one (1) track can be selected at a time.

[user 905133]

I also did some additional fiddling with the Synth Rack and different insertion modes/property settings.  Depending what the OP wants to do, choosing just the "First Synth . . . . " or "All Synth . . . . " output options (not split/simple/midi options) MIGHT be what the OP wants. 

When I chose just those options  ^^^ and had an Audio Track highlighted/selected, clicking those those synths didn't move them away from the Audio Track of choice.  HOWEVER, when I added a MIDI Track and pointed it to one of those soft synths, the solution falls into the 99% unwanted behavior category.

Fun speculation, and I learned a lot more about options for using the Synth Rack.  Still not sure what the OP's needs are and if any of this will help.  Maybe we will get some clarity on this?  Or maybe the devs have a crystal ball that is better than mine.

Edited March 30, 2022 by User 905133
changed "calls" to "falls" (correction)

[Pilutiful]

My reason to click (actually double-click!) a synth is to open the synth's GUI (as the title of this thread says) and make some changes there. For me, once the midi arrangement is done, it's done. My reason to open the synth is almost never to work with the midi track (does anyone?), so the jumping is not helpful at all. On the contrary, most of the times I want to continue working on a different track I was working on. A good example is a drum synth - I'm mixing the individual tracks for the synth most of the time (and not arranging midi). I want to open the synth and stay on the track without scrolling up and down all the time. Just one example out of many.

I understand we have our own workflows, why I wish it could be possible to open synth without jumping to midi track. Perhaps shift+double-click or something like that.

Edited March 30, 2022 by Pilutiful

[sjoens]

I know you know you can open the GUI by single left-click on the small track icon in Track View.

... and no MIDI tracks are harmed in the process. ?

[Mark Morgon-Shaw]

4 hours ago, sjoens said:

I know you know you can open the GUI by single left-click on the small track icon in Track View.

... and no MIDI tracks are harmed in the process. ?

That's what I do. 

[user 905133]

LOL.  Now I have to ask: @Pilutiful Were you only upset that Track View switched to a midi track and its OK with you if it gets switched to another type of track?

On 3/29/2022 at 11:39 AM, In A Week said:

I think what the OP is talking about is when you double click on the Synth Rack icon to open a synth then to not have the track selection jump to that synth on the Track View. [emphasis added]

On 3/29/2022 at 12:14 PM, User 905133 said:

At first I was wondering why the OP was clicking in the Synth Rack without wanting to have an associated track (instrument track or MIDI track) selected in the track view. [emphasis added]

On 3/29/2022 at 12:14 PM, User 905133 said:

It might be helpful if the OP gave more details on how the Synth Rack is being used (i.e., why click on it if you don't want to do something with the associated track?). [emphasis added]

On 3/29/2022 at 9:35 PM, User 905133 said:

More problematic for me is that the OP has not stated what the goal is for clicking on the Synth Rack . . . .  [emphasis added]

On 3/30/2022 at 5:09 AM, Pilutiful said:

My reason to click . . . a synth is to open the synth's GUI (as the title of this thread says) and make some changes there. . . . most of the times I want to continue working on a different track I was working on. [emphasis added]

To be clear, any time I click on the the small track icon to open up a synth's UI, that track gets chosen.  If I was working on a different track, I then have to go back to it. But maybe by "different track" the OP really meant "the same track?"  ?

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by User 905133

[sjoens]

I get it. He wants to use the Synth Rack independent of any associated tracks. This could be useful in some cases, but I'd still want the solo/mute buttons to coincide.